Indiana State University Newsroom

Sycamores help plant trees in Terre Haute neighborhood

Three things Indiana State University is best known for - experiential learning, community service and trees -- came together recently when students volunteered to beautify a Terre Haute neighborhood.

Jeffery Stone, assistant professor of environmental geosciences and advisor to the Environmental Science Club, teamed up with the city's urban forester, Sherlye Dell, who was planning a tree-planting event in Edgewood Grove, near Indiana State's Memorial Stadium, on Oct. 25.

Stone saw the opportunity for students to get some hands-on learning while participating in a community service project and started making necessary connections at the university, including Erika Smith, an environmental science major from Greenwood.

"The neighborhood was in a desperate need of trees," Smith said. "The old trees were dying out due to recent construction and old age."

The neighborhood's older residents, who aren't able to plant new trees themselves, agreed to water and care for the trees. It requires three years of maintenance for a new tree to get established, Stone said.

"The trees in the neighborhood are not only for aesthetics, but serve a bigger purpose for Edgewood Grove," said Natalie Erlenbaugh, a sophomore majoring in human and environmental systems from Indianapolis. "Tree-lined streets are less prone to crime and auto theft, and the trees will reduce excess runoff into the streets after heavy rainfall."

Of the 70 volunteers, about half were from Indiana State. The group planted more than 40 trees in three hours.

"In my neighborhood, I'm a little bit of a hero," Stone said.

While Stone acted as a link from his neighborhood to the university, Smith was the connection to the students, he said. She tapped the help of the Environmental Science Club, as well as Greek Life.

"I learned about the amount of perseverance and determination it takes to plan an event as grand and magnificent as this. I also learned that people in the community are willing to come together to help out if it is a cause that affects and interests them," Smith said. "This was my first hands-on event working with the Terre Haute community outside of just Indiana State University, and I look forward to planning and help coordinating events in the future."

Stone, too, said he anticipates future collaborations with the city and urban forestry department.